The invention relates to a bracket system for shelving.
Generally, shelving comprises uprights, substantially horizontal brackets (also called consoles) mounted to the uprights by engagement of hooks on the brackets with slots in the uprights, and shelves carried by the brackets. In the present text, the term shelf designates any means such as boards, grids, baskets or troughs which may carry objects placed and stored on the shelving.
The upper edge of the bracket forms a support edge or support face for carrying the shelf and is often provided with recesses or slits for engagement by respective ridges depending from the bottom of the shelf, to lock the shelf on the bracket against sliding back and forth, see DE-U-297 17 791 or GB-A-748 578. Some brackets are integrally formed with a hook projecting beyond the support edge, see DE-U-72 21 856 or FR-A-2 501 984. A small bore or recess is then provided at an appropriate position in the bottom of a wooden shelf or steel shelf, respectively, for engagement by the hook to prevent the shelf from sliding. Some systems have additional clips for insertion into the slots of the uprights to prevent a shelf from lifting off the brackets, see GB-A-2 194 134.
Brackets are generally made by punching from sheet metal to obtain sufficient load carrying capability at reasonable costs. The aforesaid hook prevents, however, to obtain a plurality of brackets directly adjacent each other from the same sheet metal. Instead, waste punchings remain between the brackets.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bracket system for shelving which can lock a shelf against sliding on the bracket and is economical to manufacture.
This object is solved by a bracket system as set forth in claim 1. The subclaims are directed to preferred embodiments of the invention.
The invention provides a retaining member separate from the bracket. The retaining member can be inserted into a receptacle in the bracket and projects over the support edge of the bracket where the bracket carries a shelf. It can thus retain the shelf against sliding on the bracket. The retaining member can be manufactured separately from the bracket. The support edge can thus be made without an outwardly projecting hook integrally formed therewith. Omission of the integral hook lowers the manufacturing costs. The bracket can also be used without a retaining member where fastening of the shelf is unnecessary or is achieved by other means.
Preferably, the retaining member is only plugged into the receptacle of the bracket.
A bracket made from punched or cut sheet metal in accordance with claim 2 is particularly economical. The separate retaining member has then the advantage that the support edge of the bracket can be straight without projections or slits, so that blanks for the bracket can be obtained side by side from sheet metal without much punching waste.
The U-shaped cross-section according to claim 3 has the advantage of high load carrying capacity and torsion resistance.
The implementations of the bracket and retaining member according to subclaims 3 and 4 are easy to manufacture and to assemble.